Classes Begin
Snape's character is so dubious that even knowing what he believed, canon really doesn't tell us whether the Marauders were the carictatures that Snape saw or that their behaviour was more balanced against students who were vicious in their attitudes and they made it more even.
I know some prefer one view over the other. This world has a Snape which is redeemable and the Marauder's were immature idiots, at least until James grew up a bit. Sirius is a bit too reactionary against all things Dark and/or all things Slytherin. Which I plan on fixing in this world.
In other stories, we'll see the other viewpoint where Snape was truly just a malicious bastard and the Marauders were more of a balance against that type of attitude. So if you dislike this particular world view – let go of the rest of the story and wait for versions you can stomach better. I won't be offended.
[Rant – kind of]: Okay. I just realized how screwed up the various combinations of schedules could be from the teachers' standpoint. I was trying to work out a schedule which accounted for Harry Potter's schedule according to the books and then extrapolating a Professor's schedule, including ensuring enough time for each class to operate and I realize that … it's fucking hard.
It's also harder because English and Scottish traditions are different when it comes to school. In order to make a Hogwarts schedule work, with core subjects receiving two to three periods per week and electives receiving one to two … I have to hereby decree that Hogwarts has five periods per day Monday through Friday. 2 are between breakfast and lunch and 3 are after lunch. The times before dinner are for Professor's to grade homework and meet with students as needed. Detentions are during the evenings
The four periods per day that most people … and even Rowling … seem to use for Hogwarts schedules would never work because Professors wouldn't have enough time per day to teach. It's impossible to have, for example, three Defense classes per week for 1st years – that would be six total for first year alone – and have only twenty periods a week (4 a day, 5 days). So I googled traditional English schedules and found one site which says 5 per day – and I'm using that cause I can make it work.
The website I used was eal. Britishcouncil .org – it seemed sufficiently credible to me to use as a basis.
I have only first and second years only getting 4 periods a day. Third year and up (with extra electives) need 5 per day. Every year gets two periods a week split with another house and 6 and 7 years have combined classes for all houses. That's 24 periods total. The twenty fifth period is for whatever the teacher needs it for. No way any year can have more than two periods of any core class unless all four houses combine.
Avoiding magical exhaustion is the prime reason why students have free periods rather than a traditional full schedule which is why it is different than most boarding schools.
Rowling and her inability to do math strikes again.
Also … there has to be some Astronomy classes held at 10:50 instead of midnight – if there are more than five years of Astronomy.
As to why Astronomy can't be held in the Great Hall with the ceiling reflecting the night sky, the resolution of the image is strong enough for the naked eye but not for telescopes to see further. Also – you wouldn't be able to see the horizon in the Great Hall – only up.
I am wondering if Gary can fix that so that some classes can be held in the Great Hall but that's for during the year if he does it. I am willing to take suggestions as to other ways Gary can improve Hogwarts during his stay.
I'm wondering if there are charms on magical telescopes to see the sky even if there are clouds – I am assuming it's often cloudy during the winter in Scotland. Otherwise muggle telescopes are usually stronger. And there has got to be some warming charms or something on the tower. Or am I not taking into account the stupidity of wizards again?
Anyway – rant over.
Monday through Friday, Garrick Septimus teaching schedule.
Period 1 – 1 (GR) 5 (RS) 7 ALL FREE 4 (HS)
Period 2 – 7 ALL 1 (HS) 1 (GR) 6 ALL 3 (HR)
Period 3 – 2 (GH) 5 (GH) 2 (RS) 4 (GR) 2 (RS)
Period 4 – 3 (GS) 6 ALL 2 (GH) 1 (HS) 3 (GS)
Period 5 – 3 (HR) 4 (GR) 4 (HS) 5 (GH) 5 (RS)
Classes Begin
It was Tuesday morning on the 2nd of September and Professor Garrick Septimus looked out at his first class: Fifth year Ravenclaws and Slytherins.
"Good morning, OWL-Level students of Ravenclaw and Slytherin. My name is Professor Garrick Septimus and it is my distinct pleasure to be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts. I will tell you now: This will be one of the more intensive years of your education. Mostly because the tests you take at the end of this year will, in many ways, decide the rest of your life. A good OWL score allows you to then continue on to NEWT level and these are the tests which future employers are interested in.
"A poor OWL Level Defense grade means no NEWT level class for you. Which immediately disqualifies you as a possible Auror, Cursebreaker, Hit-Wizard, and a host of other interesting and challenging careers or futures.
"That being said," here Gary gave them a friendly smile, "I feel that a poor grade from you is a reflection of poor teaching on my part. And I would be very disappointed if any of you would so callously insult me by failing such important examinations. Are there any questions so far?"
There seemed to be none. "Now, to assist you as much as possible, I have ensured that the textbooks in use now accurately reflect the required knowledge according to Ministry guidelines. That being said, do not fall into the trap of believing that this one text is the be all and end all of the subject. No one person, no matter how gifted, can ensure that all possible theory is included in a text – unless one was to spend decades compiling and reviewing all past texts and current research.
"These texts are tools – no more, no less. Indeed, I would say that your success will have less to do with the book used and more to do with how much effort you take to truly understand. Luckily for you, you have other classes such as Charms and Transfiguration and even Potions and History which will assist you in understanding Defense Against the Dark Arts and the theory behind spells. Each of these have a use in the Defense. For en example: What defenses are most effective against the Killing Curse?"
Several students raised their hand. "Ms. Vaisley."
One of the Ravenclaw students answered, "According to the books we've studied, there are no shields that can stop the killing curse."
Gary sighed. "Yes. Quite true. But that is not what I asked for. What did I ask for? Mr. Temple?" he asked one of the Slytherin students.
"You asked for the most effective way to stop a killing curse."
"I am tempted to take points for failure to listen. But let's try again. Mr. Snape. What did I ask for?"
With his somewhat silkier voice than his peers, Severus replied, "You asked for the most effective defenses against the Killing Curse."
"Good! Finally, an accurate response. 5 points. And for a further 10 – what are the best defenses for such curses?"
Severus thought about it for a long moment and then finally answered, "Anything which prevents the curse from hitting you."
Garrick paused for just a moment and then finally laughed. The room was confused. Finally Gary said before Severus was offended, "A better answer I could not hope to achieve. The 10 points for Slytherin, Mr. Snape, and an additional 5 for putting it in words which even a dunderhead could understand." He looked out at the students. "That answer is actually better than the one I had. My answer was: Not being where the curse is. A secondary answer was transfiguring or conjuring a solid object to take the hit.
"As to why Mr. Snape's answer is more correct than my own, my answer was predicated upon moving, or dodging, or running away; or, barring that, having your wand at least ready. These are not the only defenses. But if you limit yourself to 'this is the best way' and you can't retreat – in the face of a killing curse you might freeze. If retreat is impossible and your wand is across the room – there goes my solutions. Instead, let's try it Mr. Snape's way." He looked out at the students. "Mr. Proudfoot. Please come up here."
One of the Ravenclaws got up and came forward. Gary reached into a drawer and pulled out a stick painted bright blue and handed this to the student. "We are not going to play around with any chance of mistakes. Do you know the killing curse's incantation?"
Proudfoot nodded and said quietly, "Avada Kedavra."
Gary nodded solemnly. "This is a fake wand – there is no core and, in fact, there is an iron spike put inside just to make it even less conductive of magic. We will not be practicing any Unforgivable Curses in my class. That being said, I want you to act as though you've come in to kill me. Point this wand and say the incantation – and let's see what I can do. Okay?"
Proudfoot nodded and took the bright blue stick. He went to the door and called out, "I have come to kill you! Avada Ke …" This was as far as Proudfoot got before he was suddenly hit with the cold water that was in the cup that Gary had been drinking from. And one instant later, Proudfoot was then hit with an incarcerous once the Professor had pulled his wand out.
The room was a bit shocked.
"There is an application of Mr. Snape's answer: Whatever you can do to not be hit. I was drinking water – I threw it in his face. Poof – distraction." He quickly let Proudfoot go. "Do you want me to use a drying charm?"
Proudfoot shook his head and cast his own charm.
"10 points to Ravenclaw for not being stupid."
The room was confused. Gary looked at them. "I'm not his mother or his caretaker. I've taken no oaths not to harm him. Even if I feel it would be a good thing for Professors to give some sort of oath, it isn't required. By refusing me, he prevented an unknown from having a free shot at him. I could just as easily cast a cutting curse and he, expecting a drying charm, would be dead. Wands are, among other things, deadly weapons, people. If you let anyone point one at you, you best be damned sure they have your best interests at heart. Otherwise – I recommend you treat any wand pointed at you as the threat it is."
The room was solemn.
"Anyway, in addition, 5 points for your assistance. Mr. Proudfoot, what happened when I threw the water at you?"
He shrugged. "I was distracted."
Garrick nodded. "You may return to your seat – I'll take the dummy wand." Proudfoot returned the blue wand and sat down.
"As you can see, my defense wasn't even magical at the start – I just threw something I was drinking at him. But – it was enough. Now, if he was ready, he could have banished the water or used non-verbal spells to stop me. The man isn't truly a Dark wizard and I used that. I will say though: The Killing curse had a long incantation and honestly, anyone who can't use that split moment to do anything is kind of an idiot. Cast a spell, dodge, apparate, get behind something – ANYTHING to stop the curse from hitting you. Any questions?"
There were none.
"Also, what other mistake did he make besides not being ready for a response?"
One of the Ravenclaws raised their hand. "Ms. Vaisley again."
"He warned you."
Gary grinned. "10 points to Ravenclaw. Classic bad guy mistake: Monologueing. Do you know what most Dark wizards have in common?" There were no answers. "Ego. Every one of them start crowing about how great they are and how pitiful you are and how they're going to kill you and whatever other stupid thing they can think of." Gary made a motion where he opened and closed his fingers like a duck's bill. "Blah blah blah blah. Hero types make the same mistake but instead they start talking about how they will defeat the evilness that they are facing and how living a moral lifestyle would have been soo much better for their opponent. Blah blah blah blah. My answer?"
The students waited. "Just cast a bloody spell. When a Dark wizard is facing you, there go the rules. Take the idiot down. Use a stunner if you feel confident in your abilities; otherwise you're better off going for pain or damage. It is a much better distraction than a simple stunner."
The students were taking notes. When they all seemed ready, Gary continued on. Before teaching them any actual spells and techniques, he wanted to make certain they understood the mindset when it came to defending oneself.
When there was fifteen minutes left, Garrick stopped lecturing and started passing something out. "Now, just to be contrary, I have decided that I need to know where you are – or at least have an idea. So I will be passing out a quiz. Ravenclaws? Don't give me an essay for an answer – you'll have ten minutes to finish the quiz. You people have a tendency to talk too much. Just answer with simple answers. Maybe a sentence – at the most two. If it's a paragraph – it's too long. Any questions? Okay. Begin."
Soon, students were quickly going through and answering the questions. Some were done within two minutes and Gary motioned them to bring their tests forward and then to sit back down. The Ravenclaws, as expected, were writing the longest answers but even they kept it simple (for them). With only a minute left, all quizzes had been returned. "Okay. No homework today – homework next time. But read chapters 1 and 2 and be ready to answer questions." The bell sounded. "Okay, see you later this week."
The students quickly gathered their things and made their way out. The students were quite respectful as they passed the Professor to make their way to the next lesson.
Gary had first years next: Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.
Once all the students were sitting down, Gary introduced himself once more.
"Okay. Everyone here is just attending your very first lesson on Defense Against the Dark Arts. To be honest – you're all quite vulnerable at this point. But we'll fix that up. At this point in your training, your ability to defend yourself is limited. It is my job to increase that ability. Now, first question: What is your best tool in defending yourself?"
Various people raised their hands and Gary picked one of the Slytherins. The young boy answered, "My wand."
Gary nodded. "Okay. Show of hands: Who agrees with our young friend here?" Most hands went up. Gary sighed internally. "Okay. You!" He pointed to a Hufflepuff who had not raised her hand. "What's your answer?"
The Hufflepuff girl replied, "My mind."
Gary gave the girl an approving look. "10 points to Hufflepuff. That is exactly what I was looking for." He looked out at the class. "There will be times where your wand is not easily accessible. There are times you will face people who have much more magic or skill or sheer meanness and are willing to use magic that is best left alone. Whatever you do to defend yourself must be tailored according to the circumstances at hand. If you are alone without your wand, your best bet might be running away. It might be acting dead. It could be calling for help. It all depends on where you are, who is attacking, who else is around."
Gary took on a somber look. "Someone comes into your house to meet with your parents. While your mother or father are distracted, this visitor tries to take advantage of you – do things you don't want. A good scream might save your life – it makes the idiot who thinks he has the upper hand nervous and, hopefully, stops him for just a moment. This allows your parent to come and get you away. There are bad people around. Make certain that you don't fall victim if you can avoid it. Now, the man silences you before you can scream – what do you do?"
He pointed toward one of the Slytherins. "Run away."
"If you can – absolutely. 5 points to Slytherin. The man is blocking the exit. What do you do?" He pointed to another Slytherin.
"Grab anything around and throw it."
"10 points. By the by, I tend to give 5 points for a correct answer and 10 points for things that I feel are … more. Some people will only try to throw things that they know will cause harm. But you don't always have a choice. Even something that is batted aside might distract the man, giving you more time to think. Dropping a glass vase on the floor makes it more dangerous for him to walk toward you andmakes a loud sound for your parents to hear. Anything is better than just giving up. Any questions?"
"But if I have my wand, I can send a spell," one Slytherin girl said.
"Yes. What spell?"
She thought about that. "Whatever spell you teach us?" she replied.
Gary chuckled. "Nice try. How about a spell that Professor Flitwick teaches? Like – Lumos. A bright light right in a person's eye can make it harder to see other things. So if they are close, a Lumos might be best. Or a fire spell. Or a disarming charm. Or whatever. Just don't sit there – cast something."
Gary looked around. "Now, Let is talk about wands. Wands are tools. They are also weapons. A wand can kill with a simple spell if the spell is used in that way. I've seen a simple levitation spell cast by a first years student defeat a mountain troll. Any ideas on how that could be done?"
There was confusion all around. One of the Slytherins said, "Trolls are magically resistant. No way you can levitate one."
Gary nodded. "I didn't say that it was used to levitate the troll. I said the spell was used, not what it was used on."
A Hufflepuff said, "A table."
"That might work but no."
The room gave up. Gary smiled. "Nice try – but perhaps you don't know that mountain trolls tend to carry big clubs. They use this to knock out what they want to eat. And they are quite stupid. The troll got into the school I was at and it had cornered a girl in a toilet. Desperate, the boy who was in the girl's class used the same spell which he had learned that day: Wingardium Leviosa. It hit the club. When the troll noticed it wasn't holding its club, it looked around in confusion – and then up at the floating club. And that was when the boy let go of the charm – allowing the heavy club to fall right on the troll's face. Bamn – unconscious troll. Defeated by a first year. The End."
The students were all impressed with the story. Even the magically raised children who had heard of trolls before realized how much easier this was than attacking the troll itself.
"The funny thing was that the girl was in the bathroom because she was crying because the same boy had insulted her when she tried to help him learn the spell. He failed in class to perform it and was insulting to her to try to make himself feel better about his failure. If I see anyone here doing anything like that – detention. And it won't be a fun one. You are all new – realize it and give your fellow students a little slack. And if one of your fellow students truly is trying to help you, don't insult them even if you don't accept their help. Sometimes we only succeed with help from our friends. I suggest making as many friends as possible – you'll live longer."
The Hufflepuffs beamed at the validation of their basic nature. The Slytherins were non-committal.
"Now, this is something from me to you as new students. ONLY the first years are getting this from me. Everyone else will have to buy their own." Gary withdrew a box from his robe, set it on the desk, and then tapped it. The box expanded a lot. Gary opened it and said, "Everyone come one at a time and get one of things I am passing out."
Each student came up. Gary had to take points from one Slytherin who impatiently pushed one of the Puffs to get in front. In addition, he made that student wait until the end. He was very careful to not otherwise treat the boy any different when he finally made it up front.
"Okay. Each of you now has a wand care kit. If you are going to use a wand, taking care of it will ensure that it will work its best for you. A well-cared for wand is much better at casting spells than a poorly-cared for wand. So – today we will learn to take care of it. Open up your kits."
Soon, the entire cadre of students were following the directions and polishing their wands. A few had to be corrected into actually reading the directions first but this was easily done. Before the end of the class, each student had a polished wand.
"Okay. I expect you to polish your wands on a regular basis." One of the Hufflepuff boys sniggered which set off a few more. Gary rolled his eyes. "A little young to be thinking of that, aren't you?" Gary said with a small amount of amusement. The sniggering students got themselves under control. "Anyway, as first years, I would suggest at least once every two months or as needed if you notice it become dirty. As you use your wand more, you might take it to every month or even every two weeks. Replacement polish can be purchased at Ollivanders for 12 sickles. Any cotton cloth will do. Any questions?"
There were none. "Very good. Read the first two chapters and be ready to go over them in the next class. Start cleaning up. When the bell sounds, you're dismissed for lunch."
The rest of his classes were also fairly smooth. His class after lunch included the Marauders with the 5th year Hufflepuffs and he pretty much repeated what he did with the Slytherins and Ravenclaws.
He was pleasantly surprised by how intelligent the Marauders could be when they weren't being immature idiots. It probably was to be expected that the creators of the Marauders Map and the group of students who could become animagi in by the middle of 5th year weren't complete slouches in the brains department. Even Peter was actually fairly intelligent, or at least a quick thinker. It was suddenly less strange of a concept that Peter, in another life, so could easily get one over on Sirius.
Sirius, due to his bigotry against his family, was the most reactionary and easily prodded. Gary would need to work on that. If only they would grow up a bit everything would be smashing.
The 5th year class took the quiz that Harry had prepared and went off to their next classes.
The 6th years was the first class which contained students from all classes. "Good afternoon. Welcome to NEWT-level Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"By this point in your education, you have no progressed beyond what the average, ordinary, every-day wizard on the street is expected to know as far as Defense and now you have to consider what use this subject might be for those who wish to ensure they, their family, their friends, and perhaps society as a whole is protected against the Dark Arts." Gary grimaced.
"While I am aware that you all must have at least passed the OWL for this class, that information tells me absolutely nothing about your mindset and mentality when it comes to defending yourself. And so, as a diagnostic tool, I will be giving each of you a quiz. Unlike quizzes from earlier years, this one is more detailed. I would like simple answers where appropriate, and when appropriate, I want a full explanation. Use your best judgment. No – wait. Use any best judgment. If yours is suspect, try to think of what I'm looking for. I want to know your approach – so that's more important than what spells you might use. Any questions? Good. Begin."
Gary watched as the combined students began taking the quiz. It took at least half the period before all were done, but it would give him insight into how they approached Defense.
As the week progressed, most classes received some type of quiz and, for the first years only, a wand care kit. Other classes were advised to buy their own.
It was Friday at 5:00 and the teaching staff of Hogwarts was having their weekly meeting.
The Headmaster started them off. "Alright. The first week has come to an end. How are the students doing? Minerva?"
"Things are progressing as expected. The OWL and NEWT students have been given a rough outline of what is expected of them for their tests as given by the Ministry at the end of the year. No real problems."
"Good. Good. Filius?"
The Headmaster went through each Professor until only two of them were left. "And now Professor Septimus. Garrick, how have your classes been?"
"For the most part, pretty well. I've spent time more getting an assessment on where they were and weaknesses before working on overcoming these and moving forward. I do have one area of concern."
"Oh?" Albus asked curiously.
"Yes. My guess is that in the younger years, 1 in ten students are using legacy wands. And it's closer to 1 in twenty for the older ones. From family pressure, poverty, or some other reason, the wands they use are not a suited as they could be. I would like to rectify this."
Albus sighed. "And what is your plan to do so without involving the Board or their parents or large sums of money?"
Gary grinned. "Eileen? Does the room still contain that large barrel of lost and old wands?"
Eileen thought about it. "I do believe so. Red with no cover if I remember correctly."
Gary nodded. "If we can, perhaps, pay a few students to help polish the wands on hand – students who have less means than others – and then we can bring Ollivander to inspect the wands. First to return those that can be identified as having owners, second to ensure no damaged wands are kept, and thirdly to see if any wand on hand will be a better match than the ones they currently use. If they find a better wand, we give them the option of returning the wand they were using to their family or putting the wand they were using back with the others for future students who might find it a better match. And finally, if any student cannot be matched to a wand on hand, we sent them to Ollivander's for a proper wand using the money they made from assisting us in getting the wands ready."
Albus considered that. "Any objections?" There seemed to be none. "How do we identify those who are not using wands matched for them?"
Gary grinned and withdrew a parchment. "These are the ones that I find are most likely using ill-suited wands." He pushed the list over.
Albus accepted the list and had the other Professors look as well. Filius nodded, "From their performance in class, a number of these names make sense."
Minerva, upon looking at the list, had to agree. "Yes. This list includes some of the poorer performers."
Gary took the list back. "And as for paying for it: Eileen? How are profits from your special project?"
Eileen chuckled. "Well, currently we have about a Ten Thousand Galleon cushion."
Everyone's eyes rose at that figure. "How?" Albus asked.
"When we identified the first dresses whose ownership could not be determined and had them appraised, we had an immediate offer for all of the dresses from a wealthy Muggle woman who collected such items. For the five dresses, she offered 60,000 Pounds. After a little haggling on the part of the agent at Christie's who was selling them for us, it came to 75,000 to 78,000 Pounds. After paying the commission, solicitor's fee, and the conversion at Gringotts and all other monies due from these, we came away with about 9,000 Galleons. Add to that about 400 Galleons found amongst the lost things where ownership was unable to be determined, and another 600 Galleons from a family as a donation in appreciation for returning quite a number of items that they had thought long lost to time and we have about 10,000 Galleons. Or the Headmaster does, anyway."
Albus had not had time to check in with his new special assistant and the sums she spoke of were staggering. "Can we expect similar results as times goes on?" he asked curiously.
"Probably not quite as much. But it's likely that we can realize a significant amount each year. Gringotts is assisting us in auctioning off some old brooms that had no owner but are quite collectible. I have also given some older but still serviceable brooms to the Flying teacher for use in teaching students. She was quite happy to burn a few of the ones that we replaced," Eileen added that with a chuckle as Rolanda Hooch voiced her adamant agreement.
"Well, then. I believe that we can pay Garrick Ollivander to come and inspect the wands in preparation for matching them to students as possible. Can you arrange that, Eileen?"
"Certainly. I would like a list of students who might want to earn a few Galleons assisting in polishing them up. Hard luck cases and then any student who wants to."
Gary said, "Because I am fairly neutral to most students – no real bias and they aren't as embarrassed when dealing with me as I haven't become a fixture like most Professors – I will approach the ones I know about. Anyone want to give me a list? I will keep it confidential." The other professors each scribbled some names. Gary would find there was some overlap as well.
Eileen added, "I will arrange an empty classroom and ensure it is secure – we have no need of old untraceable wands getting out without proper supervision."
Albus nodded. "Good. Now: Horace. How has the first week been in the new Potions classroom?"
Horace Slughorn gave a wide smile. "Absolutely wonderful! You know that the early weeks often see the most accidents as students aren't fully back in the habit of paying attention to detail. This week alone the new safety procedures have kept at least four students from having to go to infirmary from exploding cauldrons. And the one major accident which caused toxic fumes was contained quite easily as well. The new Potions coats and hairnets have prevented common instances of contamination as well. Overall, it has been the least stressful week of teaching potions that I've ever had."
"Excellent!" Albus said loudly. "Garrick? You and the students did a wonderful job with that. I will be happy to report this to the Board of Governors." He looked around. "Anything else that we need to discuss?" There were no replied. "Well, then. Let us go to dinner. Have a good week everyone."